In the early morning hours of Sept. 12, an unidentified student residing in Henry Hall reported a burglary with damages estimated at $4,305, Public Safety crime prevention specialist Barry Weiser said.
"The amount of money involved in this theft makes it a major item," Weiser said. "It's usually early and late in the year that we lose a dozen or so laptops, but thefts don't usually involve this much money."
Weiser said the student returned to his room after a one-day absence to find various possessions missing from his common room, including an Alienware laptop, a power cord, an Xbox and computer software.
The student discovered one of the windows and its screen open, according to the report filed with Public Safety. The student reported that the other windows and doors were locked securely.
Public Safety currently has no leads in the case.
Weiser said most students, including the one whose laptop was most recently stolen, do not invest in locking devices for their computers.
He recommends that students look into such technology.
"The idea is that when you run down the hall to the bathroom, that's when you lose your laptop," Weiser said. "There are many cases of, 'I just left for a minute.' "
Numerous graduate students on campus have purchased alarm systems for their computers, Weiser said. The security system is available for under $100 and works similarly to a car alarm, sounding if an unauthorized user tries to access the computer.
Cables that simply lock a laptop down to a desk cost around $30 and are available from OIT.
While crime rates were generally high the first weekend on campus, Weiser said, "it doesn't look like we're ahead of the game" concerning crimes this year.
University crime statistics from 2002, to be posted on the Public Safety website on Oct. 1, indicate an increase in the number of on-campus burglaries, rising from 60 in 2001 to 68 in 2002.
In addition to the laptop burglary, a cell phone was reported missing Sept. 12. The women's tennis reunion shirts, left in a box in the newly completed Carl Icahn Laboratory over the weekend, were also reported stolen on Sept. 16.
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